Starting cage for dog racing and the like



- 1 '1,630,81l' May 31,1927. Q SW STARTING CAGE FOR DOG RACING AND THE LIKE Filed D60. 8, 1925 patented May 3 1, 1927,

i even eight dogs in a single race, and my cage" ownu'r. SMITH, oF MIAMI, aromas.

STARTING CAGE FOR DOG RACING AND THE LIKE.

Application tiled December My invention relates to cages forholding the dogs prior to releasing them in the races, and means for releasing'all the dogswithln said cage .at once, that each may have an equal opportunity for winning the race...

1 It is customary to have live, siX seven or is designed to provide a'separate compartment for each dog,and at the same time open all of the stalls at once whenever the starting time arrives.

Another object is to provide a starting cage which may bereadily removed from the track, and replaced thereon, as it is used.

Another object is to provide interchangeable doors for the front or releasing side: of said cage, which shall be light in weight,

with means for the dogs to see through'it,

and protected so that the dogsv may not in;

jui'e themselves against such doorswhile they are/confined in said cage prior to the race, or when released 111 said race.

lVith the above and other objects inview,

which will more particularly appear from the following description, my invention consists of the arrangement and combination-of parts as hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact form of construction disclosed herein, yet for the purposes of illustrating a particular embodiment thereof, I have shown and described herein. my preferred style of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, 'in.which like numerals designate the same parts in p the several views,- and in'which,

Figure l is a front elevation of one of the starting cages. l

Figure 2 is amend view of one of the said cages. y 1

Figure 3 isa detail view of one ofthe interchangeable doors removed from said cage. Figure 4 is a section view of the door shown in Figure 3 taken along the line m-m.

In constructing my said starting cage, I

have preferably constructed a frame of suit able pieces of wood, as 1, 1, 1, 1, with a floor 2 on the bottom, preferably covered by rubber mats and the sides and partitions covered by one inch mesh poultry netting, as at 3. The cage is divided by means of partitions 4 into the required number of stalls, as eight shown herein. Said partitions may also be covered by poultry netting as used on theoutside of the cage, or any other suitable material adapted to separate the dogs,

8, 1525. Serial no. 74,086.

and not permit them to fight or injure one another. I have preferably covered the lower portion of the poultry wire in each stall by means of fabric, as canvas 5, or other suitable material to prevent the dogs from.

injuring themselves on said poultry netting. In the rear of eaelistall I have provided a separate door for each stall, as 6, which slides up and down in suitable guides. This door is provided topermit admission of the dogs into-their separate stalls. v.

The front of said cage is covered by the hinged door 7, attached at the top by means of the hinges 8, 8, and havin the upper portion covered by poultry netting 3, as the remainder of said cage or other suitable material, and the lower portion coveredby two intercl'iaiigeable sections, as 9 and 10. These sections of the front door are made with frames, as 11, and attached vertically in these frames, are rods12, 12, about onefOlllill inch in diameter, and placed about one and one-half inches apart from center to center. -These rods I have preferably covered by rubber tubing 13, to prevent any injury to thedogs placed within said cage. These sections. 9 and 10, after being placed in the position shown in said door 7, are

held in position by means of suitable buttons as 14:. L

At the lower edge of the door 7, I have shown a latch, as 15 which holds the door in position until released as hereinafter de-- scribed. At the top of the cage I have pro-- vided forwardly projecting arms as 16, 16,

and to the forward ends of. these arms are attached the rubber cord, spring or other elastic material 17, 17, the other end of each such spring or elastic cord being attached to the bottom part of the door 7 as at 18. Passmg through a pulley 19 at the outer end of the arm 18 a stay rope 20, one end 'of which is attached to the bell crank lever 21, and the other end to the latch 23. This rope passes through the latch at 23, and wheneverthe bell crank lever, is operated by the .hand cord 24, the latch is released at 15, and the spring 17 raises the door-upward and forward very quicklyand out of the way of the dogs, thus opening all stalls at one and the same time, and giving each dog an equal chance with the others to get started in the race. The bell crank levers 21 are mounted on a transverse rod or shaft 21 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. This shaft or rod constitutes a rock shaft and all hand cord is connected to the vertical arm of I the bell crank levers move in unison when the rod or shaft is partially rotated by the hand cord 24. Thebell crank levers have forwardly extending horizontal, arms and upwardly extending vertical arms and the one of the bell crank levers. The horizontal arms of the bell crank -levers project forwardly and are connected by the ropes 20,

vided the extension of the base as at 25, with an angle brace as 26. Mounted in the end of this brace I have provided the truck wheels 27 and27, for the purpose of supply- 'ing truck whee-ls ,upon which to move said cage on and off the track. At the other endof the cage I have provided the handles 28,

, 28, which are, preferably hinged to the side as shown, and attached by the cords 29, 29,

' in such manner, that when the handles are raised to the horizontal position, thc\('ords are drawn taut; vided to facilitate raising the end of the cage, inorder that it may be wheeled about upon the truck wheels at the opposite endof said cage. c

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. A starting cage for racing dogs and the like, "comprising a box like structure divided into a lurality ofseparate compartments, a

door h1nged at the top to the box and ex-' tending across the front of the same to close 7 the compartments, a plurality of arms carried by the box and extending forwardly at the front of the same, resilient means connectedwith the arms and with the lower end of the door for automatically opening the These handles are pro-- I same, a latch located at the bottom of the.

door for holding the latter in, its closed position, a bell crank lever mounted upon the box above the door and having an approximately horizontal arm connected with. the

latch, said bell crank lever being also provided with a substantially vertical arm, an operating device connected with the vertical arm of the bell crank lever, a guide located at the outer end of a projecting arm, and a stay rope passing through the guide and connected with the door at the bottom-thereof and extending from the guide tothe bell crank lever and connected therewith whereby when the bell'crank lever is actuated to uulatch the door, the stay rope will be simulrlaneously pulled to assist the opening of the oor.

2. A starting cage for racing dogs and the like, comprising a box like structure divided into a ,lurality of separate compartments; a door lunged at the top to the box and extending across the front of the same to clcse the compartments, arms pro'ecting forwardly from the box at the top 0 the door, a plurality of resilient devices connected with the outer ends of the arms and with the bottom of the door for automatically opening. the same, a plurality of latches arranged at the bottom of the door for securing-the same in its closed position, a shaft mounted upon the box above the door and extending longitudinally of the same and provided with angularly related arms arranged substantially horizontal and vertically, the horizontal arms being connected with the latches and operating a cord connected with a vertical arm of the shaft, a pulley mounted on a projecting arm'of the box at the outer end of .the same, and a stay rope passing over the pulley and connected at one end of the bottom of the door and at the other end to a vertical arm of the shaft and adapted to be pulled to impart an opening movement to the door when the latter is unlatched. I

In testimony whereof I have duly signed the foregoing specification.

OWEN P, SMITH. 

